'I got a vitamin shot and now feel less bloated'

My family tells me one thing on a weekly basis: I will end up alone. Forever.

Okay, sounds cruel when I put it like that, but I do have to admit they make an extremely valid point. From 4am wakeup calls to a packed day at work, the very last thing I want to be doing is going out at night to ‘mingle’. Ugh, just the thought of putting in the effort to stay up later than 8pm at some bar trying to meet ‘the one’ makes me tired AF.

Basically, after 7pm there’s a 99.99 per cent chance you can find me snuggled up underneath my flannelette bed sheets watching Netflix…until I doze off 10 minutes later. And yes, I’ve heard time and time again that your twenties are the best years of your life, but I beg to differ.

However, recently my family’s words have recently sunk in – do I really want to end up alone? The answer is a straight no.

While some would say downloading a few dating apps would solve all my problems, another (more realistic) way would to be to take a quick trip to Duquessa Clinic to get an Intravenous (IV) Vitamin Drip. An IV Vitamin Drip is a simple solution to directly boosting your body with vitamins, minerals, and amino acids for maximum absorption.

The mastermind behind this game-changer is the experienced nurse and midwife, Katherine Millar-Shannon, who is one of the few cosmetic nurses qualified to consult, prescribe, and treat clients on-site.

Celebs and athletes swear by IV Vitamin Drips to combat adrenal fatigue, stress, and burnout, for pre and post athletic event recovery, reduce anxiety and depression, relieve pigmentation…and also help cure a hangover. But while they’re great for enhancing energy and improving overall health, they’re also used to treat acute and chronic conditions from migraines and nausea, to cardiovascular disease and Parkinson’s.

Bottom line: nearly everyone can benefit from one.

Having the treatment

After reading all about how celebs like the Kardashians, Chrissy Teigan, and Hailey Baldwin swear by it, I thought it would be the perfect time to get one to boost my immunity and give my mind and body that boost of energy, seeing as we’re smack-bang in the middle of winter. And TBH my skin was looking a little lacklustre.

Upon arriving in an elegantly decorated white room, I was handed a warming cuppa of Katherine’s special cleansing Complexion tea, where I was then given a form to fill in information about my medical history. She then examined my answers and sat down for a full medical consultation, like any professional medical expert should do. She took me through the process of getting an IV, possible side effects, and made sure I was in a healthy condition to proceed with the treatment.

After a thorough health check, she then advised me that the best IV Vitamin Drip from her IV menu for me would be the basic Vitamin C pack. Seeing as it was also my first time getting an IV, I was definitely on the same thinking track as her.

Katherine then put together my vitamin pack, inserted the needle, attached the drip, and then it was just an hour of sitting back and relaxing. Okay, sounds intense if you’re not a fan of needles, but let me tell you that I am not a fan of them at all. My past experiences with vaccinations and blood tests haven’t been so pleasant at all (embarrassingly, I even fainted once). But you know what, I didn’t even feel a thing this time, which shows Dr Katherine had plenty of experience dealing with vein-less arms and nervous AF patients.

Image: Juna Xu.Source:BodyAndSoul

It was a weird cooling sensation having the Vitamin C enter my body; a feeling that can’t be described until you experience it yourself.

After the hour was up, Katherine carefully removed the drip from my arm and I was all good to go…and eat.

One thing she heavily stressed was the importance of eating a big meal before and after, and making sure I stayed hydrated, which I wasn’t complaining at all as it was just an excuse to go home and indulge in a huge serving of pure comfort food.

Image: Juna XuSource:BodyAndSoul

Results

That night I dozed off as soon as my head hit the pillow (nothing new), but woke up at my regular time of 4:30am feeling fan-friggin-tastic. It was like my grumpy 22-year-old-self had escaped my body overnight and was replaced with my inner five-year-old.

No lie, my F45 session that morning was a cinch, there wasn’t a second I found myself falling asleep at my desk that day, and get this, I even had enough energy to go out that Saturday night for the first time in months. #winning

I also found those pesky dry patches on my face had improved. What’s more is that I 100 per cent felt less bloated during the day, even though I hadn’t made any changes to my diet in, so there is a possibility it did have a positive effect on my gut health, too.

As for my stress levels, I didn’t see any changes, but I do believe I was just born a stress-head.

Image: Juna Xu.Source:BodyAndSoul

Would I recommend it to others?

If you suffer from medical conditions, are pregnant or breastfeeding, getting an IV is not advisable – but the cosmetic nurse practitioner who looks after you at Duquessa will run through all this with you prior to getting anything done.

The effects wear off approximately 10 days later, so you do have to go quite regularly if you’re looking for long-term results. And with prices starting from $249, it’s not going to be your wallet’s BFF.

In saying this, previous studies have shown that over 90 per cent of us are deficient in at least one or more nutrients, with the most common being iron, calcium, and vitamin A, B12, C, D and E, so everyone could definitely benefit from getting an IV.

On top of this, if your immune system isn’t feeling its strongest, especially during the cooler months, it’s an excellent way to help your body build up the resistance it’s being asking for.

And last but definitely not least, if you’re a 20-something-year-old like me whose best friends are the bed, heater, and Netflix (sad, I know), then do yourself a favour and look into getting an IV – trust me, your 30-year-old self will thank you for it.